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A total eclipse of the sun...

Tuesday, August 15

You know you have the song stuck in your head too! With all this eclipse drama you would think that we would be prepared we have only had a ton of time to come up with a plan. In fact in 1979 ABC Newscaster Frank Reynolds warned us it would be here August 21, 2017 way back in 1979. So while districts and teachers and scrambling to develop a plan that keeps safety in mind I urge you to do three things with your students...

one... Educate them on how to safely view an eclipse, talk about it, practice it and talk about it some more! Help them to understand why they need to protect their eyes.

two...Teach them the science behind an eclipse, help them to understand the vocabulary. Have them act out the eclipse, help them relate to what they will see.

three...Most importantly help them to be involved in this historic event, whether they view it outside or inside provide them with a safe educational experience where they are actively engaged. Observing, recording and experiencing...after all this is what science is all about!

Stress the importance of safety with your students, even a brief exposure could cause permanent damage. When speaking with my students I used a sunburn as an analogy. You spend all day in the sun you think you are ok and then later that night you realize you have red skin and a very painful sunburn. Explaining to them that when we are normally outside the sun is so bright we insctinctly turn away. When there is an eclipse we have a false sense of protection because it is darker outside, however the suns rays are just as harmful and can cause serious irreversible eye damage. For those teachers of younger ones I urge you to use caution, most glasses are made for adults and will be a poor fit for little heads. Allow them to make observations by looking out the window and observing as the sky goes from light to dark. For those older students review safety protocols and encourage them to create small pinhole viewers to view safely.

This is an amazing event that all students should participate in as long as safety precautions are in place. For those not able to see the eclipse or not able to venture outside make sure you track the live views on NASA's website.

I have created a few resources that will help teach the science behind the eclipse. Grab yours today!